Multi-characteristic valve device



April 1964 c. DOOLITTLE MULTI-CHARACTERISTIC VALVE DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1960 INVENTOR.

Charles Doolittle Attorney I I v I It m zoEmoa zoEwon J m5uz April 14, 1964 c DOOLITTLE 3,128,635

MULTI-CHARACTERISTIC VALVE DEVICE Filed Aug. 9. 1960 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Attorney United States Patent 3,128,635 MULTI-CHARACTERISTHC VALVE DEVICE Charles Doolittie, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmer-ding, 2%., a corporation of Pennsyivania Fiied Aug. 9, 1964), Ser. No. 48,525 6 flaims. (Cl. 74-471) This invention relates to multiple-characteristic valve devices and, more particularly, to a manually operable pilot valve device for controlling supply of fluid under pressure to another device or devices, such pilot valve device being characterized by a multi-position ratchet member for determining a corresponding number of handle positions and multi-surface cam members operable by said handle for operating a valve or valves in the valve device, whereby a wide range of position combinations are available for effecting various types of valve operations as desired and in number corresponding to the number of said combinations.

Some of the commonly known pilot valve devices are necessarily limited in their scope of functions for several reasons. For example, one type of fluid pressure operable device with which a pilot valve device is used for controlling it may demand that the pilot valve device function in a certain predetermined manner for initiating supply of fluid under pressure thereto at a certain predetermined rate, while another type of fluid pressure operable device with which a pilot valve device is used may demand a pilot valve device which functions in a certain predetermined manner differing from that of the first mentioned pilot valve device. Or perhaps it may be desired to change the character of operation of the fluid pressure operable device itself, in which instance the pilot valve device controlling it would have to be changed accordingly to obtain the desired results.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a versatile pilot valve device which may be employed with any one of a number of different types of fluid pressure operable devices each demanding a predetermined type of control and which may be converted to effect a wide range of control functions in accordance with the requirement of the fluid pressure operable device with which it is used. Briefly, the invention, which is embodied in a pilot valve device, lies in an arrangement of a ratchet type disc member, a cam member and an operating handle all removably carried by and rotatable with a common shaft for operating a valve or valve members in the valve device. The disc member has a plurality of peripherally disposed notches formed thereon each of which is selectively engageable by a spring-biased detent for defining the several positions of the operating handle, said several notches being spaced at various angles and the disc member being selectively positionable on the shaft at various angular positions relative thereto for defining the handle positions according to the angular spacing of the notches selected. The cam member, or members (if more than one valve member), is also provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced cam surfaces of varying contours and is selectively positionable on the shaft in angular relationship thereto so that the cam surface of desired contour is in operative engagement with the valve member to be operated thereby. By interchanging the angular positions of the disc member and the cam member or members on the shaft relative to each other, a wide range of combinations of desired valve operation is available for given positions of the operating handle.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pilot valve device embodying the invention; FIG. 2 is an elevational view, mostly in section, of the pilot valve device taken along line 22 of FIG. 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. 3 is a sec- 3,128,635 Patented Apr. 14., 1964 tional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. 5 shows a modified version of the pilot valve device, partially cut-away, embodying the invention; and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 2, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Description and Operation As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a pilot valve device embodying the invention comprises a casing 1 consisting of a valve-housing or lower section 2 and a cam-and-detent-housing or upper section 3.

The valve portion of the pilot valve device does not constitute an essential feature of the invention, said valve portion being shown in rather detailed fashion in FIGS. 2 and 4 merely for illustrating the operation of the device embodying the invention. The valve portion of the device is disposed in the lower casing section 2 having a coaxial bore 4 in which a valve guide bushing 5 is fixedly secured, said valve guide bushing having one end thereof, in the vicinity of the axial midpoint of bore 4, abutting against an annular valve-seat member 6 for retaining the latter in a fixed position against a retaining ring 7 resting against a shoulder 8 formed in said bore.

The retaining ring 8 disposed concentrically in bore 4 serves to retain a sintered metal strainer 9 in the base of said bore to which a supply port 10 formed in casing section 2 opens for admitting fluid under pressure into a pressure chamber 11 defined by said casing section and a discvalve 12 biased toward a seated or cut-off position against the valve seat member 6 by a spring 13.

A valve-operating member 14 having a passageway 15 extending therethrough coaxially is slidably operable in a coaxial bore 16 formed in the valve guide bushing 5, said valve operating member being biased toward a normal position, defined by engagement of a shoulder 17 formed on the valve-operating member with a complementary shoulder 18 formed on the valve-guide bushing 5, by a spring 1? acting thereon, in which normal position the end of said valve-operating member adjacent discvalve 12 is out of engagement with said disc-valve to permit the latter to occupy its seated position. The valveoperating member 14 is operable out of its normal position against the opposing force of spring 19, in a manner to be hereinafter described, to a supply position in which the end of said valve-operating member adjacent disc-valve 12 moves through a central opening 20 formed in the valve-seat member 6 to engage said disc-valve and operate it against the opposing force of spring 13 to an unseated or supply position off said valve-seat member, in which unseated position of said disc-valve a fluid pressure supply communication is established between supply port 10 and a delivery port 21 formed in casing section 2 (see FIG. 4). In the unseated position of disc-valve 12 fluid under pressure may flow from port 10, past valve 12, through opening 20, through a plurality of port openings 22 formed in the wall of valve-guide bushing 5 and opening into bore 4, and through a passageway 23 connecting bore 4 with delivery port 21. Passageway 15 in the valveoperating member 14 is connected to atmosphere by way of a plurality of transverse ports 24 intersecting said passageway 15 adjacent the end of said valve-operating member opposite the end engageable with disc-valve 12 and through the upper casing section 3, which, as seen more clearly in FIG. 4 at 25 and 26, does not make sealing contact with lower casing section 2. The end of valveoperating member 14, in which ports 24 are formed, extends out of lower casing section 2 to terminate in upper casing section 3 for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

With valve-operating member 14 in its normal position and disc-valve 12 in its seated position on valve-seat member 6, the fluid pressure supply communication, as above described, between supply port and delivery port 21 is disestablished while said delivery port, and therefore fluid pressure operable device connected thereto, is vented to atmosphere by way of passageway 23, bore 4, ports 22, passageway and through upper casing section 3. When valve-operating member 14 is operated to its supply position, that is, it is moved downwardly as viewed in the drawing and in a manner hereinafter disclosed, the one end thereof seats on the upper face of disc-valve 12 to close off atmospheric venting through passageway 15 and unseats said disc-valve to establish the supply communication between ports 10 and 21.

The upper casing section 3 houses a handle-operated cam and detent assemblage comprising a shaft 27 rotatably supported by said casing section at right angles to the axis of the valve portion of the device. For a purpose hereinafter disclosed, but not deemed essential to an understanding of the invention, shaft 27 comprises two axially aligned sections 28 and 29 held together by a screw 30 and is provided with a first splined portion 31 for receiving a complementally splined disc member 32 and a complementally splined radial cam member 33, said cam member being axially disposed on said shaft in such a position as to operatively engage the end of valve-operating member 14 extending into casing section 3. The cam member 33 has peripherally arranged thereon a plurality of cam surfaces 34, 3S and 36 of varying respective contours designed in accordance with the desired movement of valve-operating member 14, each of said cam surfaces being arranged in respective cam sectors 34a, 35a and 36a of said cam member, as seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings, said cam member being selectively positionable on the splined portion 31 of shaft 27, in any one of a plurality of positions in angular relationship thereto, as to have the desired sector or preselected cam surface of the three make operative contact with the valve-operating member 14 through a pivoted cam follower 37.

The disc member 32, which is also selectively positionable on the splined portion 31 of shaft 27 in angular relationship thereto, is provided with a plurality of peripherally disposed notches 38 arranged at preselected angular positions thereon, one of said notches at a time, depending upon the angular position of shaft 27, being engageable by a detent 39 pivotally secured to the casing section 3 and biased into engagement with said notch of said disc member by a spring 40, the tension of which is adjustable by an adjusting screw 41. As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, one sector of the disc member 32, designated as Notch Sector, has three notches 38 spaced 45 apart, while another sector, designated as 30 Notch Sector has five notches 38 spaced 30 apart for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

An operating handle 42 is secured to one end of shaft 27 on a second splined portion 43 by such means as a lock ring 44, for example, and is selectively operable to one of a plurality of positions determined by the notches 38 on the disc member 32. Although the several positions of the handle are determined by engagement of detent 39 with the corresponding notches 38, maximum angular displacement of said handle to either side of a neutral position, indicated by a line marked Neutral Position in FIG. 1, may be limited in any suitable manner, one of which is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. A pin 45 is fixed in casing section 3 adjacent the hub of handle 42 with its axis parallel to the axis of shaft 27 and has a portion 46 thereof extending into an arcuate slot 47 formed in the hub of said handle on a predetermined radius corresponding to the distance between the axis of said pin and said hub and of such width to allow the pin 45 to ride loosely therein upon angular movement of the handle, the arcuate length of said slot being such as to limit angular movement of said handle 45, for example, to either side of the neutral position to other positions indicated in FIG. 1, for example, by lines designated Position A and Position B respectively. The several positions immediately above defined correspond with the positions determined by the three notches 38 in the 45 Notch Sector of disc member 32. A torsional spring 48 (see FIG. 6) encircling shaft 27 between casing section 3 and the hub of handle 42 and having two extending ends normally resting against a boss 49 formed on casing section 3, one or the other of said ends being engageable by a lug 5%) formed on handle 42, may serve to bias said handle toward its neutral position, if so desired. Otherwise, without the use of biasing spring 48, the handle 42 remains in the position to which it has been last operated, due to cooperative detent action between detent 39 and one of the notches 38, until manually moved to another position or notch.

The notches 38 are angularly spaced and provided in suflicient number on disc member 32 as to accommodate the desired number of handle positions over the entire operating angle of the handle 42. For example, assuming a three-position handle movement, as above described, the disc member 32 should be mounted on shaft 27 so that three consecutive notches 38 spaced at 45 angles from each other in the 45 Notch Sector are in operative position relative to detent 39, as shown in FIG. 3. It may be desired, however, to have the handle 42 operate through a range comprising five positions and through a total angular dispulacement of 120; that is, two positions on each side of the neutral position at 30 intervals from each other, in which instance the disc member 32 would be placed on the shaft 27 so as to have the five consecutive notches 33 of the 30 Notch Sector in operative position relative to the detent 39. If the operating handle 42 is operable through a range of 120, however, instead of the pin 45 must be removed to permit the additional angular movement of said handle, in which case said angular movement is limited on the respective sides of the neutral position by a pair of lugs 51 and 52 (see FIGS. 1 and 6) formed on opposite sides of the hub of said handle, said lugs being angularly located on said hub so as to engage the respective side of boss 49 on casing section 3 when said handle is in the extreme position to one side or the other of neutral.

A variation of the pilot valve device is shown in FIG. 5 wherein two valve portions comprise the device, only the ends of valve-operating members 14 adjacent the cam followers 37 being shown, since the structures of said valve portions are identical to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The shaft 27, however, is provided with a longer axially aligned section 53 instead of the shorter section 28 provided in the structure shown in FIG. 2. The longer shaft section 53, secured to section 29 by a screw 54, permits the mounting of a second cam member 33 for operating the additional valve. Of course, the operating handle 42 and the disc member 33 of the double-valve unit or device shown in FIG. 5 may be arranged in the manner described in connection with the single-valve device so as to be operable to either three or five positions.

The operation of the valve device consists simply of moving the handle 42 to the desired position for effecting the desired results. For example, assuming the handle 42 and disc member 32 to be set up for three-position operation of a single-valve unit as shown in FIGS. 1 2, 3 and 4, if said handle is moved to position A, disc member 32 and cam member 33 are both rotated by shaft 27 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, until detent 39 engages the adjacent notch 38 on said disc member, during which movement approximately the left-half portion of surface 34, as viewed in FIG. 4, on said cam member causes cam follower 37 to be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction and thereby cause valve-operating member 14 to move from its normal position to its supply position above described. The characteristic design of the left-half portion of cam surface 34 determines, for example, at what rate valve-operating member 14 is moved to unseat discvalve 12 and to what degree said disc-valve is unseated for effecting supply of fluid under pressure from supply port to delivery port 21, above noted. The right-half portion of cam surface 34 differs in contour from the lefthalf portion and, therefore, produces an operation of the valve device of a different nature if the handle 42 were operated to position B. Furthermore, it should be evident that if handle 42 and disc member 32 were arranged for five-position operation, still further variations of operation of the valve device would be obtainable. These variations could be further altered and varied by changing the angular position of cam member 33 on shaft 27 to present a different cam surface, such as surface 35, for example, for operating the valve device. It should also be evident that many more variations of operation are available with the double-valve unit (as shown in FIG. 5) which has two cam members 33 that may be angularly adjusted on shaft 27 to any of the various cam surfaces available, which, along with the multi-position handle operation, provides for a wide range of combinations of valve operations.

Having now described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An actuating mechanism for a device having an operating member, said actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable shaft, a cam member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having peripherally spaced thereon, in each of a plurality of defined cam sectors, respective cam surfaces of predetermined characteristic contours different from each other, said cam member being so angularly positionable on said shaft that only one of said cam sectors and its respective cam surface at a time is effective for operative engagement with the operating member, and detent means including a disc member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having peripherally formed thereon, at predetermined angular positions, a plurality of notches selectively engageable one at a time, by a cooperating yieldable detent for determining a varying number and spacing of preselected angular positions of said shaft, said cam member and said disc member each being angularly positionable on said shaft in any one of a plurality of different positions relative thereto and to each other, whereby variations in characteristics of operation of the device to be actuated may be effected by placing the appropriate cam sector and its respective cam surface of said cam member and the appropriate notches of said disc member into respective operative positions relative to the operating member and said detent.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the disc member is further characterized by having a different number of notches peripherally formed thereon in each of a plurality of defined sectors, said notches being spaced at predetermined angular positions within the respective sectors, each of which sectors defines a corresponding angular operating range of said shaft when placed in operative engagement with the detent by appropriate positioning of said disc member on said shaft.

3. An actuating mechanism for a device having a plural-ity of operating members, said actuating mechanism comprising a casing, a manually rotatable shaft supported in said casing, a cam member for each respective operating member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, each of said cam members having peripherally spaced thereon, in each of a plurality of defined cam sectors, respective cam surfaces of predetermined characteristic contour and different from each other, and each of said cam members being so angularly positionable on said shaft that only one of said cam sectors and its respective cam surface at a time is effective for opena-tive engagement with the respective opera-ting member, a disc member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having peripherally formed thereon, in each of a plurality of defined disc sectors, a different number of notches spaced at predetermined angular positions within the respective disc sectors, and detent means selectively engageable with said notches, one at a time for yieldingly holding said shaft in preselected corresponding angular positions, said cam members and said disc member each being angularly positionable on said shaft in any one of a plurality of different positions relative thereto and to each other, whereby variations in characteristics of operation of the several operating members and the respective valve units associated therewith may be effected by placing the appropriate cam sectors and the respective cam surfaces of said cam members and the appropriate sector of said disc member into operative positions relative to the operating members and said detent, respectively.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 further characterized by cooperating means on said casing and on said shaft for positively limiting rotative movement of the shaft beyond respective positions corresponding to those positions determined by the respective notches situated at the extremities of any one of the sectors.

5. An actuating mechanism for a device having an operating member, said actuating mechanism comprising, in combination, a casing, a manually rotatable shaft supported in said casing, at least one cam member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and for actuating the operating member, said cam member having peripherally spaced thereon, in each of a plurality of defined cam sectors, respective cam surfaces each characterized by a contour of predetermined form different from the others and only one of said cam sectors and its respective cam surface at a time being operatively engageable with the operating member, and detent means including a disc member removably carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having peripherally formed thereon, in respective sectors and at predetermined angular positions for each sector, a plurality of notches selec tively engageable by a cooperating yieldable detent for determining a varying number and spacing of preselected angular positions of said shaft, said cam member and said disc member each being angularly adjustable on said shaft relative thereto and to each other, whereby variations in operations of the device to be actuated may be effected by placing the appropriate cam sector and the respective cam surface of said cam member and the appropriae sector of notches. of said disc member into operative positions relative to the operating member and said disc member, respectively.

6. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the detent means comprises a detent lever pivoted at one end on said casing and having a protuberance adjacent the other end for engagement in the notches of the disc mem ber, a leaf spring element fulcrumed on the casing between the ends thereof and having one end contacting the free end of the detent lever, and adjusting screw means accessible from the exterior of the casing and engageable with the other end of said spring to adjust the tension of said leaf spring on said detent lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,700 Hamner Jan. 14, 1941 2,411,732 Kelley Nov. 26, 1946 2,841,178 Schutz July 1, 1958 2,972,262 Kunzler Feb. 21, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,242 Germany May 10, 1951, 

1. AN ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR A DEVICE HAVING AN OPERATING MEMBER, SAID ACTUATING MECHANISM COMPRISING A ROTATABLE SHAFT, A CAM MEMBER REMOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND HAVING PERIPHERALLY SPACED THEREON, IN EACH OF A PLURALITY OF DEFINED CAM SECTORS, RESPECTIVE CAM SURFACES OF PREDETERMINED CHARACTERISTIC CONTOURS DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER, SAID CAM MEMBER BEING SO ANGULARLY POSITIONABLE ON SAID SHAFT THAT ONLY ONE OF SAID CAM SECTORS AND ITS RESPECTIVE CAM SURFACE AT A TIME IS EFFECTIVE FOR OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OPERATING MEMBER, AND DETENT MEANS INCLUDING A DISC MEMBER REMOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH AND HAVING PERIPHERALLY FORMED THEREON, AT PREDETERMINED ANGULAR POSITIONS, A PLURALITY OF NOTCHES SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE ONE AT A TIME, BY A COOPERATING YIELDABLE DETENT FOR DETERMINING A VARYING NUMBER AND SPACING OF PRESELECTED ANGULAR POSITIONS OF SAID SHAFT, SAID CAM MEMBER AND SAID DISC MEMBER EACH BEING ANGULARLY POSITIONABLE ON SAID SHAFT IN ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS RELATIVE THERETO AND TO EACH OTHER, WHEREBY VARIATIONS IN CHARACTERISTICS OF OPERATION OF THE DEVICE TO BE ACTUATED MAY BE EFFECTED BY PLACING THE APPROPRIATE CAM SECTOR AND ITS RESPECTIVE CAM SURFACE OF SAID CAM MEMBER AND THE APPROPRIATE NOTCHES OF SAID DISC MEMBER INTO RESPECTIVE OPERATIVE POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE OPERATING MEMBER AND SAID DETENT. 